Campus Computing Sites places a "freeze" on our software environment during the first and last months of each term. This ensures that our loadsets are in a stable condition during the high-usage period surrounding exams. We will not deploy new software or make loadset changes during this time.
Definition
A freeze is a time when staff limit changes to the environment. This is to both maximize stability during critical times of the year and to make staff available to quickly address issues that may arise during these times. We wish to limit the risk of outages and maximize staff availability when they occur.
Timetable
- Fall Term: The first 2 weeks of classes and the last week of classes.
- Winter Term: The first week of classes and the last week of classes.
- Spring/Summer Term: No specific freeze period. General policy is to make no major environment changes during exam periods and only make core software upgrades between term breaks.
These are in addition to ITS Production Freezes.
Consequence of Freezes
No changes are to be made to any of the Sites environments in general. There are a few exceptions to this rule (see next section). Examples of the freeze impact on Sites groups include:
| Sites Group | Limitation |
|---|---|
| Environment Teams |
|
| Printing |
|
| Frontline | Nothing that may take a site out of commission (mass reloads, reconfigurations, etc.). |
Exceptions to the "No Changes" Rule
The following changes are allowed during an environment freeze:
- Major bug fixes
- Security updates
- Software deployments for classes that will be held during a freeze time (or shortly thereafter)
- Any other change that a Sites manager has authorized and deemed acceptable
Communication Made Prior to a Freeze
Prior to a freeze, a member of the Sites management team will send messages to:
- staff roughly a month before a freeze begins to define the specific dates of the next freeze.
- Sites partners and staff roughly one week before a freeze begins to notify and remind them of the upcoming freeze.